I just read this petition and did a little bit of research and this is beyond cruel unhumanitary and just plain crazy.

"At a “special needs school” in Canton, Massachusetts, children and teenagers with autism and other disabilities are being administered electric shocks as a means of controlling their behaviors."

"The human rights abuses taking place at the JRC are well documented. The United Nations is aware of the JRC and has called these shocks “torture”, and says that “The prohibition of torture is absolute.” Yet the school continues to use a powerfully painful electric shock device on students to control their behaviors. These devices are reportedly much stronger than police stun guns and were created by the founder of the Judge Rotenberg Center."

"Rather than shocking students for only severe behaviors, student behavior plans at JRC dictated that we shock certain students for even the most minor of behavioral issues like closing their eyes for 15 seconds while sitting at the desk, pulling apart a loose piece of thread, tearing an empty used paper cup, or for standing up and raising a hand to ask to go to the bathroom. In some classrooms, very often students who observe their peers being shocked react in fear by standing up out of their seat, yelling or crying, or throwing down their task -- and are then shocked for these reactions."

"A non-verbal nearly blind girl with cerebral palsy was shocked as part of her behavioral plan for making a moaning sound and for attempts to hold a staff’s hand (her attempts to communicate and to be loved)."

"In 2002, 18 year-old Andre McCollins was strapped down and shocked for hours at the JRC. He begged for the shocks to stop and when they did, he was left in a catatonic state for days which resulted in permanent damage. Video of Andre’s shock treatment was sealed until recently"

Latinfoxy needs to be thanked for bringing this to our attention. I had never heard of this before. Signed the petition and wish I knew more that I could do besides just cussing them all out, which I have already done also.If you ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it.................Frank Lloyd Wright

By the way, does this mean that Massachusettes, or at least schools in that state, allows teachers to hit pupils at regular schools? I mean if they allow electrical shock to the point where there's permanent damage, isn't it a bit hypocritical to go "No, we don't allow child abuse". Talk about fucked up world...

That is disgusting. They give the electric prod to move cows and sheep along onto a truck but not to children.

I have heard of Electric Shock threapy and I thought that went out the window once mental health was researched a lot more.

However to control disabled and handicapped children is disgraceful.

This is another kind altogether. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through the brain, deliberately triggering a brief seizure. Electroconvulsive therapy seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can immediately reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful.

Much of the stigma attached to electroconvulsive therapy is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects.

Electroconvulsive therapy is much safer today. Although electroconvulsive therapy still causes some side effects, it now uses electrical currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.

Joined: 4/15/2011Posts: 7,587Location: Soaking up the sun, United States

chefkathleen wrote:

This is another kind altogether. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through the brain, deliberately triggering a brief seizure. Electroconvulsive therapy seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can immediately reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful.

Much of the stigma attached to electroconvulsive therapy is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects.

Electroconvulsive therapy is much safer today. Although electroconvulsive therapy still causes some side effects, it now uses electrical currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.

Thank you. This is what I have been taught. Like many other things, how electtroconvulsive therapy is administered is much different then it used to be.

This is another kind altogether. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which electric currents are passed through the brain, deliberately triggering a brief seizure. Electroconvulsive therapy seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can immediately reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful.

Much of the stigma attached to electroconvulsive therapy is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects.

Electroconvulsive therapy is much safer today. Although electroconvulsive therapy still causes some side effects, it now uses electrical currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.

From what I understand the electric shocks being administered at JRC are not done as any type of therapy, but are used as a disciplinary tool. According to parents and former teachers some students are subjected to electric shock for any minor disciplinary problem. There is no defense for this school doing this. I hope it's stopped now, and that other schools aren't allowed to take up this practice. http://

This is from the petition: "The United Nations is aware of the JRC and has called these shocks “torture”, and says that “The prohibition of torture is absolute.” Yet the school continues to use a powerfully painful electric shock device on students to control their behaviors. These devices are reportedly much stronger than police stun guns and were created by the founder of the Judge Rotenberg Center."

The device used at JRC is a graduated electronic decelerator. It is not used in electro-convulsive therapy, but as a disciplinary device. This is torture. How can anyone defend it? http://

This is from the petition: "The United Nations is aware of the JRC and has called these shocks “torture”, and says that “The prohibition of torture is absolute.” Yet the school continues to use a powerfully painful electric shock device on students to control their behaviors. These devices are reportedly much stronger than police stun guns and were created by the founder of the Judge Rotenberg Center."

The device used at JRC is a graduated electronic decelerator. It is not used in electro-convulsive therapy, but as a disciplinary device. This is torture. How can anyone defend it?

Not only those devices are diferent but even if they werent the electro-convulsive therapy is supose to be use in small dosis. There was a kid in these place that was shoke over 20 times in a 7 hours period, everytime the kid pleaded for the shocks to stopped he was shocked again.

That is just insane and you have to be a cold hearted bastard to do that to a kid and call it "Therapy"

Not only those devices are diferent but even if they werent the electro-convulsive therapy is supose to be use in small dosis. There was a kid in these place that was shoke over 20 times in a 7 hours period, everytime the kid pleaded for the shocks to stopped he was shocked again.

That is just insane and you have to be a cold hearted bastard to do that to a kid and call it "Therapy"

This is horrible, if they are doing what they appear to be doing. I cannot imagine what parents would approve of this "treatment" on their children? I also wonder if they were led to believe their children were receiving ECT, instead.

Many people who are not familiar with ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) might have the impression that this is what is being done on these kids. ECT therapy is quite different. It's highly controlled, does not induce pain (if done properly), and has shown tremendous promise for people whose depression is resistant to other treatments. But, based on what you've posted, this is DEFINITELY not ECT these people are engaging in. ECT requires special equipment, specifically trained personnel, etc. It's not used as a tool for behavioral adjustment, but rather to help "reset" the neurological balance of the brain (in lay terms).

Simply shocking children in order to solicit a change in behavior is Skinnerism in its most simplistic form. This is exactly what Skinner did to rats, and he was successful in being able to inhibit certain behaviors for a period of time during "treatment" and, in most cases, for some time afterwards. Of course, the rats became extremely neurotic, afraid, anxious and/or angry and violent. Also, even if these were acceptable side effects (in anyone's mind), you still have the matter of having to continue to reinforce the "learning", or else the "learned reaction" will be lost...leaving a still anxiety-plagued individual who doesn't even retain the lesson.

From what I understand the electric shocks being administered at JRC are not done as any type of therapy, but are used as a disciplinary tool. According to parents and former teachers some students are subjected to electric shock for any minor disciplinary problem. There is no defense for this school doing this. I hope it's stopped now, and that other schools aren't allowed to take up this practice.

Exactly right. Which is why I explained that it was so people would know the difference. Not what this is that's being done to the people in JRC.

I think if this was done to my child I'd be hard pressed to stay out of prison for my actions. Unbelievable.

This brings up an interesting point. Most (all) of us would have the same reaction. Strange that the parents of kids that do attend this school aren't having that reaction. I've read about only one mother suing over the treatment of her child. Furthermore, this place has been doing this for years. Any parent that sends their kid to this school must already know what goes on there. Could it be that these parents are at the end of the ropes when dealing with an autistic kid? People have been known to resort to just about anything that offers hope when things seem hopeless. The strangely quiet on the issue parents may have thought or do think this is the only way left to get through to their kids. I'm certainly not condoning this at all. And I hope the place gets shut down. Soon.

Past aversion techniques used by JRC were: spanking with a spatula, pinching the feet, forced inhaling of ammonia.

JB, you and I would take matters into our own hands if this happened to our family. But neither of us would ever allow our kids in a place like this in the first place.

Also to Naughtiestmommy, I read just a little bit on wikipedia on this place. The "institute" was founded by Matthew Israel, who did indeed train with Skinner.

When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. Socrates

Maybe the parents just drank the kool-aid. Like you say, they're at the end of their ropes and were promised a new method that works in keeping them calm and under control. And out of the house so they can play bridge on Friday nights.

Also to Naughtiestmommy, I read just a little bit on wikipedia on this place. The "institute" was founded by Matthew Israel, who did indeed train with Skinner.

It befuddles the mind. The social sciences communities, across the board, consider Skinner's work in negative reinforcement to be important only as a warning of the affects of punishment in learning. Anyone who is not completely out of their mind would take his research in its totality, with an understanding that positive reinforcement far exceeds negative, both in the sustainability of the learned behavior, and in the overall affect on the character of the subject.

It's incredible to imagine that anyone who studied under Skinner would consider negative reinforcement to be acceptable at all. Of course, Skinner himself became so caught up in his own studies of negative vs. positive reinforcement that he is purported to have kept his young daughter caged for years, while administering electric shocks and other forms of negative reinforcement. It's a perfect example of the madness in the method. It always amazes me how one can focus on the more barbaric aspects of a body of work, and allow it to consume and distort their own thinking. You'd think history would serve as a lesson against such fanatic approaches, but I guess not.

Shame on the parents here! I cannot even imagine a world where a parent thinks this is okay. Makes you wonder how the kids are being disciplined at home...

Skinner was an idiot I was a behavioral therapist. I will say though that behavior mod used in the strictist sense can work andis meant to be extremely cruel in some cases that will if used correctly will extinguish behavior that isnt wanted. The problem is that behaviors are connected withother behaviors so in most cases it will not work by itself it is rarely used in connection with oter types of theraputics it can help if used correctly and that is the key word. To chef you are correct about ECT but it never has a positive effect on any patients other than the clinicaly chronic depresents. I will never work on a manic or a schizophrenic or any of the maor affective disorders. It stimulates the parts of the brain in the parital and temporal lobes that can ease the symptoms of a major depression. It was used originally on schizophrenics who were also epileptic it was noted that after a rand mal seizure their symptoms subsided for anywhere from a week to ten days. It was then used but failed miserably. This is one more way to get away with legal abuse. They pay no wages give ppl no trainging and then expect them to take care of some of the most difficult cases you will see. I worked in psychiatry for 7 years as a music therapist and it is really sad that we can not take care of these special people at times like the humans they really are. Now I am teaching and it isnt much better except that there seems to be no discipline in public schools at all and even in some pvt schools. There seems to be no middle ground and this has to be fixed to succeed.

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